Omar Abdullah Promises Awareness of New Criminal Laws in J&K Post HM Shah's Review Meeting

Jammu, Feb 18 (NationPress) Union Home Minister Amit Shah convened a high-level meeting in Delhi on Tuesday to evaluate the execution of three new criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir. Following the meeting, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah remarked that while the responsibility for implementing the new laws does not lie with the elected government in the union territory, his administration will ensure the populace is informed about these laws.

In a statement to reporters after the meeting led by the Union Home Minister, CM Omar Abdullah stated, “For the elected government, it is not our obligation to enforce these laws. Given that these are new regulations, it is essential that the public is made aware. We, as the elected government, need to take further actions in this regard.”

He went on to say that while Jammu and Kashmir has made progress in implementing these new regulations, there are still some areas that require improvement.

The Chief Minister mentioned that he had spoken with the Union Home Minister about the security situation in the Union Territory during a meeting in the Parliament complex, although security matters were not on the agenda for Tuesday’s discussions.

When questioned about his absence from security review meetings, CM Omar Abdullah expressed, if the decision was made to exclude elected representatives from such discussions, he had no comments on it.

“Today’s meeting focused on new laws and their implementation,” he clarified.

Addressing Rahul Gandhi’s response to the appointment of the new Election Commissioner of India, CM Abdullah stated that as the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi is entitled to voice his dissent regarding such selections. “The opposition is not required to always concur with the government’s actions. As the Leader of the Opposition, he has every right to express his disagreement. There is an ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court, and a decision will be reached. As the Chief Minister of a state, I can only say that this is a matter pertaining to the ‘Markaz’ (Central government).

The Union Home Minister has previously reviewed the implementation of these three new criminal laws across 11 states. Tuesday’s session, chaired by Amit Shah, also included J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and senior officials from both the Central and Union Territory governments.

The new criminal laws—Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam—have replaced the outdated British-era laws, namely the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Indian Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), and the Evidence Act of 1872.